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The Cal women’s basketball program has agreed to play four games against the University of Connecticut Huskies, the first of which will occur next season. That will be a road tilt for the Bears, who take on the daunting task of facing a team that has currently won 99 straight contests.
-@UConnWBB and California-Berkeley (@CalWBBall) have four-game deal with first game in Connecticut during 2017-18 season.
— carl adamec (@CarlAdamec) February 11, 2017
UConn’s incredible streak began in the fall of 2014, and the program has won four consecutive NCAA championships. In the meantime, the Huskies have vaulted past the men’s record of 88 set by the 1970-74 UCLA Bruins. Every win now only serves to increase the women’s all-time record. UConn also held the previous women’s mark of 90, which was set back in 2011.
All of this aside, I can see the logic on Cal’s end. Playing against Connecticut should bring extra exposure to women’s basketball in Berkeley. That may well help coach Lindsay Gottlieb and the Bears in terms of recruiting efforts. UConn’s Geno Auriemma is a master recruiter and a no-nonsense coach, but the Huskies’ roster will change over the course of this agreement just like Cal’s will.